Page 22 of A Very Titan Christmas (Titan #14)

The headlights reached the last curve before Bryce pulled into a well-known restaurant just outside of Silverberry Ridge.

He wasn’t sure what to make of Rachel falling quiet for the last five minutes.

He guessed that was because she knew where he was headed.

This wasn’t exactly a casual date spot. It was a place better known for proposals.

Hell, he didn’t know why he chose this place, other than it offered discretion and wouldn’t alert Eloise Porter about their every move.

“Wow, I know where we are,” she said as Bryce parked. “This is way more than just a dinner.”

She had no clue. He was about to pull out all the stops, and he wasn’t sure why.

This wasn’t the kind of date they could have afforded—or even dreamed about—while in high school.

One of the perks of time having passed was that Bryce had a killer job.

Titan Group made sure he was very comfortable and well compensated.

And if he was going to take Rachel out, he would do it right.

“How did you get reservations on such short notice? I don’t think I’m dressed up enough.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He opened the car door. “Ready?”

“Seriously, Bryce. People make reservations months in advance.”

He shrugged. “Grab your coat. We’re not going straight in.”

Several hours had passed since the last ugly sweater cookie category had been judged.

A kid had won the grand prize for the first time, and Bryce had given Rachel a few hours to write and prepare for dinner.

The only guidance he’d offered was to wear something warm for outside that could transition inside.

Her brow furrowed, but she quickly met him on the sidewalk, bundling her long scarf around her neck. She turned toward the main entrance. He pressed his hand against her back. “This way.”

“But—”

“Come on.” He tilted his head in the direction the employee at the restaurant had told him to head upon their arrival. “We have a pit stop before dinner.”

A sign at the sidewalk directed them down another walkway.

“The stables?” She stopped abruptly and took his arm. “What are we doing?”

“Keep walking, and you’ll find out.”

“Oh, come on. Tell me.”

“We’re going to spend some time outside before it snows again.”

She took his arm. Their boots crunched over the salted pathway.

Parts were still slippery. “I think it’ll be a lot of snow.

Some forecasters have been saying it could be bad.

” She leaned against him as they traveled farther from the well-lit parking lot.

“Um, I don’t think we’re supposed to come down here after dark—ohhh,” she said, breathing out.

Her quiet gasp warmed him from the inside out when she saw the two horses and carriage. As expected, two people waited for them.

One strode forward. “Mr. Richmond.”

“This isn’t real,” Rachel whispered.

“And Ms. Porter,” their greeter said with a cheery smile. “This is Mr. Franklin. He’ll be the one to take you out tonight before your dinner.”

Mr. Franklin inclined his head. “This is Ralphie and Tiny Tim—”

Rachel laughed as the enormous horse tossed his head as though it recognized its name.

Mr. Franklin offered a hand to help Rachel climb into the carriage. “You’ll find a blanket for your legs, and if you cuddle close, you’ll stay nice and warm.”

Tiny Tim tossed his head again as if welcoming them onto the carriage. Rachel looked over her shoulder with a can’t-believe-it grin and then climbed up. Bryce followed. Rachel patted the spot beside her on the thick cushion. Bryce sat next to her and pulled the heavy wool blanket over their legs.

“All settled in?” Mr. Franklin asked.

Of all the ways Bryce had imagined spending his time in Vermont, this wasn’t a possibility. Yet here he was, with the woman he had half hoped not to see and was now having a problem dragging himself away from. “We’re good to go.”

The carriage lurched. Rachel laughed again, but they fell into a smooth motion. The draft horses didn’t move fast. Flickering lamplights along the trail guided their way along the path. Snow flanked the trail. The night was clear and cloudless for the first time in days.

Bryce tipped his head back and let his gaze roam over the sky. “You can see the Milky Way.”

She leaned back and looked in the direction he pointed. “I never see anything like this in Philadelphia.”

“Yeah, I don’t see much like it either.”

The horses’ heavy hooves crunched on the icy path with twin clip-clops that fell together and apart with a rhythmic grace that lulled him into a quieter world consisting of just him and her.

They rolled along. The lanterns attached to the carriage gently swung as the horses pulled them up a hill. Ahead of them, a lamppost cast a golden light against the trees along the path.

Rachel laid her head on his shoulder. “This is wonderful.”

Their legs pressed together under the heavy wool blanket. A gentle breeze lifted snowflakes off the trees and floated them lazily through the air. They sparkled in the lantern light.

Neither spoke. The carriage crushed icy gravel. The wheels crunched over sand and snow and mixed with the heavy clops of horse hooves. Rachel tucked her mittened hands deeper beneath the blanket. “A few weeks ago, I didn’t know I’d be in Vermont.”

“Same.”

“And now, it feels like the universe is trying to tell me there’s no other place I should be.”

His warm laughter rumbled in his chest. She tucked her cheek against his shoulder. He rested his chin on top of her head. “You cold?”

“Not even a little.”

He smiled and covered her mitten with his glove.

It wasn’t as if he could feel her skin, but her palm turned up and her fingers locked over his, stoking a hope that was making itself increasingly known.

Bryce kissed her temple then tucked her close to his side.

In the woods on a horse-drawn carriage, they could sit together like this, like there weren’t real-world expectations of what should happen next. It was just them.

They crested a small hill. The trees opened into a clearing.

Below them, tucked into a snow-covered meadow, was the restaurant.

The lamps in the parking lot looked like little sprays of gold, and he thought he could make out smoke curling from the restaurant’s chimney.

The scent of it tinged the air and made him feel like it was Christmas for the first time since he’d arrived in Vermont. Maybe for the first time in years.

Mr. Franklin drove the carriage over a part of the pathway shaped like a horseshoe and headed down the little hill.

“Remember when I mentioned my… disinterest in the holidays?” Bryce asked.

“Not something I can forget.”

“I think Christmas has worked its magic. If I’m not careful, it might even become my favorite time of the year.”

Her smile curled. “Are you going to tell me how you pulled this off?”

“It was nothing much. I just made a couple phone calls.”

She scoffed. “This is so much more than nothing much.”

True enough. After he’d come up with the idea, he hadn’t bothered to consider if it would be too much. “Just pretend I called in a favor or something.”

“You’re not supposed to use favors for fake girlfriends.”

“We’ve been blurring the rules a lot,” he whispered. Bryce meant to sound like he was teasing her, but it seemed more like a reminder of every too-long look that might lead to another kiss like the one that could’ve burnt her cabin to the ground.

She burrowed next to him. “We didn’t exactly set rules.”

No, they hadn’t, and yet, they both were well aware they’d crossed boundaries.

The carriage ride down the mountain seemed to fly by. Every bend on the trail brought them that much closer to their reentry into the real world, when they’d leave behind this magical Vermont trail ride.

The carriage slowed as it approached the stables. The attendant who had first greeted them waved hello with a cheery smile. Bryce eased himself from under the blanket and jumped out first. He reached his hand up to help her down.

The attendant and Mr. Franklin led the horses into the stables.

Rachel faced Bryce. He wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted more than that. Now that the quiet and the blanket and the darkness were gone, Bryce would do anything to ditch dinner and see if this fancy place had a cabin they could rent for the night. Need burned in his chest. “Rach—”

She pushed herself up on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and softly kissed his lips. “Thank you.”

The fire in his chest intensified. She pulled back. He didn’t let her get away. Bryce cinched her close. His lips brushed hers, teasingly, softly, and only for a moment. Then the hunger he’d been fighting since the night at her cabin took over.

Her mouth was candy cane sweet and tasted of peppermint. Her lips melded to his, her mouth opening to the stroke of his tongue. Kissing this woman was like breathing oxygen into his life. Though his eyes were closed, the colors were more vibrant. He was more alive than he’d ever been.

The sound of approaching footsteps cut their kiss short. Their lips parted. She pulled back, but he didn’t let her get far. Bryce studied her face and saw what he felt: red-hot need.

“Guess we should go to dinner,” she said with the same degree of uncertainty that he felt.

This would be complicated. He saw that in her face too. Either way, no decisions would be made before dinner. They could always walk inside the restaurant and decide this was a bad idea in thousands of different ways. Or they could decide to press their luck. “Guess so.”

He took her hand, and off they went.

*

The restaurant smelled of rosemary, garlic, and woodsmoke, a faint air-kiss of a scent just rich enough to make Rachel sigh. Tension melted from her muscles, and Bryce took her hand. His longer fingers were strong and steady, holding on to her as if their relationship was as real as possible.